Holiday driving safety tips for Thanksgiving and Christmas

It’s the holiday season, and that means everyone – and we mean everyone – is hitting the road. Whether people are scooping up Black Friday sales, visiting family and friends, or heading to holiday events, the traffic is definitely heavier than usual. This also means that the risk for accidents is up. Our Orlando Toyota dealership is here with holiday driving safety tips – check out our advice for driving on Thanksgiving day, driving on Christmas day, and tackling holiday traffic in general. Let’s go!

Driving on Thanksgiving day and Black Friday

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days of the year when it comes to driving. Tons of people are on the roads to get to celebrations with friends and family, and it’s in your best interest to know how to navigate it all. Here are the busiest driving days around Thanksgiving:

• The Wednesday before. The day before Thanksgiving is the busiest day for travel, especially in the late afternoon and evening. Traffic spikes up and can cause major delays in and around Orlando.
• Thanksgiving day between 11-3 pm. This is peak time for people to head to their Thanksgiving celebrations.
• The Friday after between 12-4 pm. People returning home after the holiday + Black Friday traffic means longer travel times for you and your crew.
• The Sunday after. The day after Thanksgiving is another heavy traffic day – people who stayed with friends and family for the weekend are on their way home and the Orlando highways definitely see slowdowns.

So when should you travel? Here’s what our Toyota of Orlando experts say about optimal Thanksgiving travel times.

• Thanskgiving evening. Most people are where they need to be at this point (or already home) so the roads tend to be less crowded.
• The Friday after before 11am and after 8pm. Driving at these times may help you avoid tough Black Friday traffic.

Driving on Christmas day and after

What about Christmas – when are the best and worst times to drive, and what holiday driving safety tips should you be putting into play? Here’s what the team at Toyota of Orlando has to say about it: check out the worst days to drive around Christmas.

• The Friday + weekend before Christmas. This weekend is PEAK for Orlando traffic. People are doing last-minute shopping, driving home for the holidays, and hitting the last of the parties and events for the Christmas season.
• The weekend after Christmas. People often head home this weekend after their holiday celebrations, so traffic tends to be heavier during these days.

The best times to travel around Christmas include midweek before the holiday or after the holiday.

What about driving on Christmas day – what is the best time? If you have to hit the road on December 25, we recommend doing so before 10am or after 5pm. Most people will be at home during those time periods, so the roads should be less congested.

Holiday driving safety tips for Thanksgiving + Christmas

What can you do to stay safe on the roads during this busy travel time? Here are some of our top holiday driving safety tips for Thanksgiving weekend and beyond.

• Don’t rush. Check traffic before you leave to find your optimal route, and be late if you have to. Speeding and driving aggressively just increase your chances of getting into a car accident.
• Stay focused. Keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel to ensure your focus is where it needs to be – on driving and the cars around you.
• Don’t drive aggressively. Avoid tailgating, speeding, weaving, and other bad driving behaviors to lower the risk of a collision.
• Buckle up. Bad weather can make roads slippery, so make sure you and your passengers are buckled up safely.
• Prep your Orlando Toyota. If you’re taking a road trip, make sure your car is prepped and ready to go in terms of tires, oil changes, and your battery.
• Never drink and drive. Call an Uber, spend the night, have a designated driver – whatever you do, don’t drink and get behind the wheel.

And if you’re heading out of Orlando and into winter weather, be sure you’re ready for it. You need to know how to drive in snow and ice safely for when bad weather hits.

Find a Toyota for your holiday road trip

Want more holiday driving safety tips or looking for a safe new Toyota to tackle your holiday road trips? Come see us at Toyota of Orlando today – our Black Friday sale is going on now! We’re open until 10pm at 3575 Vineland Road, just off I-4 near the Mall at Millenia.

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